2007.07.22

Lithium-Ion Motorcycles - Motos Electriques

Better batteries are making electric motorcycles possible, providing a cleaner alternative to pollution-spewing gas-powered bikes.
The electric scooter that already exist with Lead-acid batteries or nickel metal hydride batteries are heavy (200 kilograms), while the lithium-ion-powered Enertia made by Brammo Motorsports of Ashland, OR, weighs just 125 kilograms.
Brammo hopes that the lighter electric motorcycles will be appealing to those who would be intimidated by a heavier bike.
In the past, using lithium-ion batteries in a motorcycle would have been a bad idea because of safety concerns. Conventional lithium-ion batteries--the type used now in laptops and cell phones--can overheat and explode, which has led to massive product recalls and at least one death.
In one of the electrodes, those batteries use cobalt oxide, a material that makes it possible to cram a lot of energy into a battery. But cobalt oxide is also volatile. If it begins to overheat, the material gives off oxygen, which feeds reactions that lead to "thermal runaway" and flames.
But the new lithium-ion motorcycles rely on advanced lithium-ion chemistries that don't catch fire. The new batteries use phosphate- rather than oxide-based electrodes. It takes much higher temperatures to release oxygen from phosphates, making the batteries very difficult to set on fire, even in safety tests designed to do so.
The Enertia can go up to 45 miles.

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Lithium-Ion Motorcycles - Motos Electriques

Better batteries are making electric motorcycles possible, providing a cleaner alternative to pollution-spewing gas-powered bikes.
The electric scooter that already exist with Lead-acid batteries or nickel metal hydride batteries are heavy (200 kilograms), while the lithium-ion-powered Enertia made by Brammo Motorsports of Ashland, OR, weighs just 125 kilograms.
Brammo hopes that the lighter electric motorcycles will be appealing to those who would be intimidated by a heavier bike.
In the past, using lithium-ion batteries in a motorcycle would have been a bad idea because of safety concerns. Conventional lithium-ion batteries--the type used now in laptops and cell phones--can overheat and explode, which has led to massive product recalls and at least one death.
In one of the electrodes, those batteries use cobalt oxide, a material that makes it possible to cram a lot of energy into a battery. But cobalt oxide is also volatile. If it begins to overheat, the material gives off oxygen, which feeds reactions that lead to "thermal runaway" and flames.
But the new lithium-ion motorcycles rely on advanced lithium-ion chemistries that don't catch fire. The new batteries use phosphate- rather than oxide-based electrodes. It takes much higher temperatures to release oxygen from phosphates, making the batteries very difficult to set on fire, even in safety tests designed to do so.
The Enertia can go up to 45 miles.

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My name is Patrice. I live in Paris where I get a little crazy and follow my curiosity.
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